BMJ  2006;333:551-552 (9 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7567.551-c

Letter

Exempting mental health units from smoke-free laws

Issue should no longer be ignored

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Campion et al wrote on no longer exempting mental health units from smoke-free laws.¹ By allowing smoking in psychiatric units the government will only increase stigma towards psychiatric patients when the Royal College of Psychiatrists is trying hard to reduce it.

Admission of smokers with mental illness to smoke-free psychiatric units may lead to behavioural deterioration, but some evidence from the United States refutes this argument. In 1987 the Board of Trustees of Southwest Washington Hospitals instituted a smoking ban in all of its facilities, including general psychiatry units. The changes were introduced successfully with minimal impact on the successful function of the psychiatric service.² The implementation of a smoking ban, establishing a smoke-free psychiatric service and abolishing tobacco products, created minor management difficulties on a locked psychiatric unit.³

The effects of prohibiting cigarette smoking on the behaviour of patients on a 25 bed psychiatric inpatient unit were . . . [Full text of this article]

Royal Preston Hospital, Preston PR2 9HT docftalam@aol.com

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Relevant Article

Exempting mental health units from smoke-free laws

Jonathan Campion, Ann McNeill, and Ken Checinski
BMJ 2006 333: 407-408. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]